Hook Rugs & History

Hook rugs are not a new phenomenon. In fact, they have been around for quite some time. The earliest examples of hook rugs came from England. In Yorkshire during the early 1800’s, floor mats found in the homes of weaving mill workers seem to exemplify the craft that led to hook rugs. What happened was that the employees were allowed to take leftover, useless pieces of yarn home with them. Being industrious and creative, the workers figured out how to use those small strips of yarn to create functional floor coverings for their homes.

As was clearly the case in England, early hook rugs were born from a lack of money. The weaving mill workers couldn’t afford the high priced rugs they were making so they resorted to a less expensive, more creative option. The same was true when the art came to the United States a few decades later. Even though hook rugs were popular among poor women, upscale families and magazines ignored the art and viewed it as basically a poor person’s way of decorating their home.

For a long time this continued to be the case and hook rugs were not prized by the wealthy. As America became a more wealthy country and more people could afford to buy rugs, hook rugs became a thing of the past and nearly became nothing more but an outdated craft no longer practiced. Then a woman named Pearl McGowan decided to rescue hook rugs from obscurity. She ended up standardizing the craft and helped make it popular among people of all classes, not just the lower ones.

Today, antique hook rugs can fetch a good price, particularly from collectors. You can also find ways of making your own hook rugs and many beautiful hook rugs can be purchased from retailers. Hook rugs are no longer just a method for poor people to cover their floors. Hook rugs are now a beautiful floor covering option everyone can enjoy.